Meghan Markle’s encounter with silent audience at ‘awkward’ conference
Meghan was an actress once upon a time, which meant a slew of interviews...
Before Meghan Markle was the Duchess of Sussex, she was an actress, starring most famously in Suits and during her time on the screen, she fulfilled a slew of press, including conferences and interviews.
A resurfaced clip of Meghan has shown that once upon a time, even she wasn’t the most confident…
Meghan Markle’s ‘mortifying’ moment at conference
It’s 2016 at the Create and Cultivate blogger conference in Atlanta. Meghan Markle’s future of becoming a duchess and walking down the aisle with her fairytale prince are not far off.
But at this point, Meghan is still an actress and blogger.
Meghan is the founder of The Tig, a website where she covers an array of lifestyle topics.
The future duchess is still balancing being a blogger whilst keeping up with her acting career.
Although she is no stranger to being the star of the show, during this particular conference Q&A session, Meghan is left with a lack-lustre response from the audience.
In fact, it turned into a dragging silence…
According to MailOnline, body language expert Judi James analysed Meghan’s movements at the 2016 blogger conference.
Here, Meghan displayed clear signs of discomfort.
Meghan Markle’s ‘uncomfortable’ body language
Judi observed: “There is an awkward amount of gap-filling to cover the fourteen seconds before someone steps up. And in that time, we see Meghan display a range of responses. Including what appears to be possible exasperation and a wry, asymmetric smile.”
Judi explained that Meghan initially appeared to look confident whilst faced with the audience. She sat with her legs crossed.
At one point she even raised her knee, implying she wished to keep her posture open and not create a barrier.
The expert continued: “Her elbows propped out on the arms of her chair in an authoritative splay ritual. While her left hand lightly rested on her thigh as she addressed the audience in a friendly, rapport-building manner, referring to them as ‘You guys’.”
As Meghan awaited questions from the audience, little response was made.
Clearly, Meghan hadn’t prepared any filler questions and there was no-one in the audience already prepped with a question to ask.
Awkward silence as Meghan Markle faced with quiet audience
“Every speaker knows the mild dread that comes with the ‘Any questions?’ moment where, no matter how engaging and informative you have been, there is always the risk of a tumbleweed silence that can suggest a lack of interest,” body language expert Judi added.
As no immediate questions arose, Meghan appeared to fill the silence in a way that created a “subtle rapport gap,” according to Judi.
“They have no questions, they just want their cocktails,” a tense Meghan quipped.
At one point Meghan is also said to look to her host for support before exclaiming: “I’m a chatty girl,” in hopes to spark the audience to speak up.
Judi also points out that as Meghan speaks her hand flops from the wrist, highlighting her exasperation.
Meghan then raises her eyebrows and jokes: “Not even a question about Mike Ross, that surprises me!” (referring to her fictional character colleague in Suits) whilst raising her hand aloft in an aloof gesture.
Finally, someone in the audience does ask a question.
Meghan Markle flourishes as she talks feminism at conference
They say: “Today, I’ve noticed we’ve talked a lot about motivation and following your gut. Meghan, I was wondering if you could speak a little about navigating feminism within conservative business environments.”
As the question is posed, Meghan’s body language appears to change, according to Judi, and she is engaged once more and eventually relaxes.
Judi explained that when questioned about feminism, Meghan is keen to “re-boot her status,” and hopes to move on from what may have been seen as a “lack of enthusiasm”.
Referencing her past work, Meghan shifts the discussion. She said: “I had written an article for the Irish Independent, which is a big newspaper in Ireland, about that exact thing because I had been really fortunate enough to meet with a lot of incredibly powerful women.
“Of course, you can still be a woman, and want to present yourself well, and look beautiful, and it doesn’t lessen the fact you’re standing up for something that’s incredibly important.”
Meghan Markle’s business ventures
Judi goes on to say that once Meghan regained control of her narrative, her body language conveyed a “purring of enjoyment”.
These days, Meghan seems to keep her interview more intimate. She seems to opt for environments with a smaller audience or just one on one chats with the host.
Meghan eventually closed her blog, The Tig, when her relationship with Prince Harry became more serious. However, this doesn’t mean Meghan has given up on her entrepreneurial dreams.
This year alone she has shared three big business ventures. She’s launched a new Netflix show, a luxury lifestyle brand and a podcast.
Read more: Meghan Markle under fire for ‘narcissistic’ decision on wedding anniversary with Prince Harry
So, what do you think? Did Meghan Markle handle this awkward moment well? Did she pull off her conference appearance? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page.
